NewsGordon to play left field every day for KC
By Dick Kaegel and Samuel Zuba / MLB.com
07/29/10 8:33 PM ET
- Guillen would not be shocked if he's traded
- Royals promote righty Holland from Minors
- Yost will use different players in leadoff spot
Originally drafted as a third baseman, the Royals moved Gordon to the outfield this season. With Podsednik gone, manager Ned Yost has deemed Gordon the starting left fielder until further notice.
"It gives us an opportunity to put Alex Gordon in left field, continue his development out there on an every day basis," Yost said.
This advance in playing time will benefit Gordon as he makes the switch from infield to outfield.
"We've seen Gordon out there in a very short stint, four games, five games, whatever it's been since he's been here," Yost said. "But you can see he's got a lot of work to do out there before he becomes a polished outfielder."
Gordon was called up from Triple-A Omaha on July 23 after hitting .315 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs in 68 games.
Yost views the departure of Podsednik as a chance to showcase some of the Royals' prospects.
"It's important to get Gordon out there, it's important to get our guys on that field, our home-grown guys, because that's how we're going to turn this around -- through our farm system and our home-grown players," Yost said.
Guillen would not be shocked if he's traded
KANSAS CITY -- Jose Guillen, a frequent subject of trade rumors, says he has a "gut feeling" that something will happen before Saturday's Trade Deadline.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore, perhaps inadvertently, fueled the fire after the deal that sent left fielder Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers. In discussing possible roster moves, Moore noted that Triple-A slugger Kila Ka'aihue likely would join the Major League club soon.
"It's important for us to get Kila on our club, and we feel like that'll happen at some point very shortly," Moore said. "I'm not saying it'll happen tomorrow, but we expect it to happen soon."
Ka'aihue is a first baseman, period, which is a Royals position filled by Billy Butler, who isn't going anywhere. Ka'aihue, though, could fit as a designated hitter, which has been outfielder Guillen's primary spot.
"He's the boss and he knows what he's doing," Guillen said. "He knows more than us. I respect Dayton, he's a very smart man. He's going to do whatever it takes for this organization to improve. So I cannot tell you what's going to happen, but it's my gut feeling that something is going to happen. That's my gut feeling, but I have no idea whatsoever."
The Giants have been the club most mentioned recently in connection with Guillen, but supposedly the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Padres also had shown interest.
Guillen is staying tuned in this week.
"Of course, everybody pays attention to it. We all have to pay attention -- it's all business," Guillen said. "I pay a lot of attention. I always call my agent, so I know what's going on."
Entering the series against the Orioles, Guillen was leading the Royals with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs, and had a .272 average. He's stayed healthy, playing in his 100th game on Thursday night.
"I've been dealing with this quad stuff, but it's nothing big, it's been getting better and I'm getting to where I need to be," Guillen said.
Guillen is in the last year of his three-year, $36-million contract and would be a free agent next winter.
Royals promote righty Holland from Minors
KANSAS CITY -- After trading outfielder Scott Podsednik on Wednesday night for two Minor Leaguers, the Royals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Greg Holland from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
Holland was selected by the Royals in the 10th round in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of Western Carolina. In 36 relief appearances for the O-Royals, Holland was 3-3 with a 3.81 ERA, giving up 24 earned runs over 56 1/3 innings. Opponents were batting .199 against the 24-year-old from North Carolina.
Over his past 10 appearances, Holland was 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA while striking out 30 and walking 10. During that span, opponents batted just .161 against him.
As the O-Royals game against the Nashville Sounds ended Wednesday night, O-Royals manager Mike Jirschele called Holland into his office and told the young pitcher that he'd be heading to Kansas City. The news came as a bit of a shock, but it was something Holland was ready for.
"I've always felt like I could pitch at this level, but you can't really worry about that day-to-day," Holland said about waiting for his callup. "It's not really ever on my mind, I just try to go out there and do my job. I was kind of shocked when they told me, but I feel like I deserved it.
"I just try to do my work day-to-day and kind of put it on the back burner. I've gotten caught up in the past thinking about it, and it kind of affects your pitching."
Holland's 30 walks in 56 2/3 innings are a cause for concern of his control, but that is something Holland says he works on daily.
"It can be command of all four [of my pitches], but the fastball command has probably been my biggest downfall," he said. "If I can get it in with my fastball, then I'll be all right."
Holland spent his first full season in Advanced Class A Wilmington in 2008, bypassing Class A Burlington. He started the 2009 season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas before his promotion to Triple-A after 29 appearances.
Holland is the reigning pitcher of the week for the Pacific Coast League.
Yost will use different players in leadoff spot
KANSAS CITY -- With former leadoff man Scott Podsednik gone to the Dodgers, the Royals will now have to find a new man to hold down the top of their order.
Outfielder Willie Bloomquist, who hit leadoff in Thursday night's game, is the likely choice with long-time leadoff man David DeJesus out for the season with a right hand injury, but manager Ned Yost said he's not necessarily sticking with one player to fill Podsednik's shoes.
"We'll just go day-to-day with it," Yost said. "It's not earth shaking. It's not a big, major problem. We don't have a prototypical leadoff hitter -- some clubs don't. We'll go with Willie [Thursday], and [Chris Getz] on days that he plays. Mitch Maier [will hit leadoff] some, and [Jason] Kendall has led off before."
Kendall, Maier and Getz have yet to hit leadoff for the Royals this season. Bloomquist has hit leadoff three times this season, and is the only player on the roster to bat No. 1.
"Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but I don't balk at the fact of leading off," Bloomquist said. "I don't know what [Friday's] lineup is going to bring, but it's something I've done before. ... It's fun to be up at the top and try to set the table for the other guys."
Yost agreed that Podsednik will be hard to replace, but ultimately, it's what's best for the team.
"We lost a guy that was a .300 hitter, a spark plug for us on the bases," Yost said. "A real pro and a real classy individual. But you gotta weigh what's best for your organization at this point."
Podsednik left the Royals riding a career-high 15-game hitting streak. That streak, however, ended when he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in his debut for the Dodgers.
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. Samuel Zuba is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
